The Deployment Platform T-56 Ground Support/Ultra Heavy, colloquially known as the Lich, is a Covenant matériel deployment vessel manufactured by Achoem Weapons.[1] In keeping with the naming scheme of most Covenant vehicles, the Lich is named after a supernatural being.

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The Covenant's largest airborne deployment platform, the Lich boasts heavy armament and is capable of mass deployments of up to forty soldiers. Because of this, UNSC encounters with Liches have almost always resulted in total destruction of the UNSC ground forces, resulting in a lack of available information on the craft.[1] Like smaller Covenant dropships, the Lich is spaceworthy. It is also capable of traveling through slipspace, though presumably it cannot do so under its own power. Its shielding, at the very least, is strong enough to endure the radiation of slipspace while following in Mantle's Approach's wake.[3][4]

Though the Covenant used the Lich during the Human-Covenant War, it remained rarely seen due to it usually being used by civilian and security roles.[6] Moreover, the vehicle's great effectiveness often resulted in the annihilation of its human opponents. Thus, it remained poorly documented by the UNSC until the post-war period.[7] Following the Great Schism the need for troop transports outweighed the supply.[8]

In February 2558, a Lich was deployed when Fireteam Crimson activated a signal in Apex. Crimson boarded the Lich and stole its power core in order to power up the Harvester. This caused the Lich to become unstable, destroying it.[10]

On October 27th, the Swords of Sanghelios sent a Lich to rendezvous with UNSC Infinity in the Urs System. Fireteam Osiris used the ship to reach Sanghelios, and then inserted to Nuusra aboard a Phantom deployed by the Lich.[13] Arbiter Thel 'Vadam used Liches among his aerial forces during his assault against Covenant forces in Sunaion, travelling aboard one with Osiris until it landed in the city.[14]

The Lich occupies a remarkably similar gameplay niche to the Scarab in previous games. The Lich is likewise encountered in the campaign and Spartan Ops as a "boss" enemy that must be boarded and destroyed via firing into its power core. Its weaponry, internal layout, and size are also somewhat reminiscent of the Scarab.

When the Lich is first encountered in the level Reclaimer, Commander Lasky refers to it as an "unidentified Covenant vehicle" despite the craft being cataloged in 2556, though it may refer to him not seeing the vehicle until it was in sight.